Of The Heart
by StrangeIsNotACrime
Summary: Grace visits Lisbon at home, post S03 finale. Written for blueyedmentalistfan. Please read and review, it really makes my day when I get the emails. Own nowt.
1. I'm Sorry

**Written on request so do forgive me if it's a little dodgy. Sorry! Dedicated to blueeyedmentalistfan - Thanks for the idea :) **** Enjoy. **

She stared up at the tall, grey apartment block. How was she supposed to go up there and face the woman she'd almost got killed? Grace took a deep breath and went in passing the broken lift, and made her way up the four flights of stairs to her boss's apartment. Number 29. She knocked quickly and stood back, fiddling with her shirt.

Teresa groaned. It felt as though everyone had taken it upon themselves to disturb her as much as possible. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Did they not know that she'd only been out of hospital for two days?

As she made her way to the door, her heart gave a leap. What if it was him? Maybe.. She opened the door quickly and her face fell.

'Grace..'

'Boss… Can I talk to you?'

'Um… Sure, I guess..' She stood back and let the young woman come in. Grace wasn't exactly the first person she wanted to see right now, but the agent had such a desperate look in her eyes that Teresa felt almost compelled to let her in. She shut the door behind her and sat herself down on her armchair.

'Please, sit down..'

Grace nodded and took a seat on the sofa. She clasped her hands in her lap and fiddled with her fingers. The pair sat in silence for several long minutes until finally Grace spoke up.

'I'm sorry.'

Teresa tensed up at her words. She had known that Grace would eventually say them but she had never really wanted her to. After all, Grace must have been going through enough turmoil to last her a lifetime.

'Don't be. You didn't know. '

'He shot you.. You could have.. Anything could have happened to you.. If it had, I.. I'm not sure I could have..'

'But it didn't, did it? I'm okay. Grace, I'm fine.. I promise..' Teresa's grey green eyes met Grace's teary hazel ones. She reached over and took Grace's left hand, sighing internally at the lack of engagement ring. She looked at the calendar on the wall above the TV. The huge black X marked today off as special. At this moment, a radiant Grace should be walking down the centre of a beautifully decorated Church on her father's arm and a gorgeous pink clad Teresa should be following her, holding the back of the stunning ivory dress. Craig should be standing at the front with his best man, smiling widely as the redhead made her way towards him. Instead, she was sat in Teresa's living room and her fiancé was lying in a morgue.

Grace followed her boss's eyes up to the calendar and felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She knew full well what day it was and hadn't been able to take sitting around at home crying any longer. She needed human company. Someone to tell her everything was going to be okay. But more than that, she needed to get rid of the guilt that she hadn't yet been able to release.

'Why don't you hate me? Why don't you want to kill me? Why the heck aren't you shouting and screaming and telling me how spoilt, childish and brainless I am?'

Teresa felt a pang of sympathy. Grace was beating herself up about this far more than she should have been. She had to do something to make her relax.

'Grace.. You shot and killed your own fiancé because he shot me... That wasn't spoilt, childish or brainless. You know what that was? That was loyalty. That was bravery, care and strength. You came to me to apologise on the day you were meant to be getting married. That takes some guts, I tell you. You're a good person, Grace, and a good agent. Don't you ever dare to think otherwise. One day, you'll have it all. A husband, children, a job doing what you love. And you'll be happy. It's what you deserve.'

'But..'

'Listen. When I go back, I'm giving you two weeks off. Do whatever you want with that time. Go on a vacation, go visit your family, get drunk, do whatever the hell you want with the time but use it to get back on your feet. I'm not having a suicidal agent on my hands. I want you to be okay. Clear?'

Grace nodded and stared down at her hands. 'Clear.'

'Good. Do you want a coffee?'

'No.. No, I shouldn't. I should go.' Grace released her hand from Teresa's and rose from her chair and forced a small smile. 'Thank you..'

Teresa forced an equally fake smile. 'No problem.. And Grace?'

'Yeah?'

'Don't give up on guys. You'll find the right one some day.'

'I had him..'

'Grace, Craig wasn't exactly..'

'I wasn't talking about Craig..'

'Then who?'

Grace flashed a small smile in the direction of her boss and headed for the door. She opened it but paused in the doorway, turning back to face Teresa.

'I meant Wayne..'

And she disappeared.

**Okay, so I've finished it here for the time being. Please review and tell me if you think I should continue or not - I have a few ideas as to what could happen in future chapters but I don't know if it would be better to leave it. Help! **

**Hope you liked, thanks for reading. **


	2. Back To Work

**Before I start, massive thank you to everyone who's reviewed/favourited/Story alerted :D Makes my day. In fact.. *sends you all hugs and cookies***

**As you can see, I've decided to carry it on. This chapter's actually a little rambly but everything will become clearer in my next chapter. Enjoy :)**

Two and a half weeks later, Grace found herself sat at her desk for the first time in ages. Everything felt different. Jane was back with them after his trial but even he seemed different. A little quiet, more reserved. She had heard Cho telling Rigsby earlier that 'Jane looks almost as crappy as Grace', a remark which hurt her a little but she had decided to ignore. After all, it was Cho. He was blunt like that.

Of course, after the revelations that the last of her two weeks off had brought her, she wasn't surprised that she looked crappier than they had expected. Even the thought of it made her feel nauseous. She couldn't take it anymore, she had to tell someone. There must be someone in the whole of the CBI who could understand and help her. Normally, her first port of call when she had a problem would be Rigsby but this wasn't really a Rigsby kind of problem. He'd just freak out. Cho.. Now, that would be funny. Jane would probably try and help her but not while he was so withdrawn.

Grace glanced behind her and through the window, where her boss was busy filling out a huge stack of paperwork. It wasn't really fair to disrupt her now. No, her personal life was her own. No one needed to hear about it. Surely though, they would find out sooner or later?

Sooner. Definitely sooner.

Although maybe later was better.. It'd give her a bit more time to think..

But if she did it sooner..

Grace groaned and slammed her head down on her desk. Her mind was numb with exhaustion and worry. She had spent a week panicking, going through each and every option she had available to her and had come up with nothing.

Why couldn't Craig had just been a nice, normal guy who actually loved her? Then all this would have been so much simpler. She wouldn't be so scared, she'd be happily married and everything would be alright. Now, she wasn't sure that anything would ever be alright again.

That's enough, she decided. She was going to face it. She was just going to tell someone and have done with it. Grace scraped her chair along the hard floor and stood up, heading out to Lisbon's office. She paused at the door, arguing silently with herself about whether or not to enter but she shook all rational thought away and knocked loudly.

'Come in.'

Grace pushed the door open slowly. Lisbon looked up at her expectantly.

'What's up?'

'I have to talk to you..'

Lisbon gestured to the empty chair opposite her. Grace nodded gratefully and sat, playing with her fingers as she often did when she became nervous.

'So? What was it you wanted to tell me?'

Grace jumped at Lisbon's words, taking a deep breath to steady herself before speaking.

'I.. I..'

'Van Pelt, spit it out.'

The redhead sighed and closed her eyes as her courage suddenly evaporated. Some things were best kept to herself.

'I don't feel so good. Would you mind if I took off?'

Lisbon frowned. She knew the younger agent wasn't exactly telling the truth, but she decided to appease her. After all, she did look kinda pale and tired.. Maybe Grace was back too soon. Maybe the two weeks that she had given her hadn't been long enough. It was unlike Grace to ask to go home. Instead of battling it out, she simply nodded and agreed.

'It's fine. Go get some sleep. You look like you could do with it.'

'Thanks Boss..' Grace stood up quickly and headed back out to her desk for her purse and jacket. Her head was pounding and she felt as though every last drop of her energy was gone. She just needed to sleep now. Yeah, sleep. The cure for everything.

Well, except this. As much as she wished it could, this was one thing that sleep wouldn't be able to cure. This was something she'd just have to sort out herself.

**Thanks for reading folks, keep those reviews coming**


	3. Revelations

**Huge thanks to my wonderful reviewers, you make my world that little bit brighter. So.. Who wants to know what's wrong with our Grace, huh? Read on, intrepid explorers. **

Grace flung her bag onto her couch and covered her face with her hands. She just couldn't see how the whole situation could get any worse. It felt like everyone had abandoned her. First Craig, then her colleagues. She knew that her friends hadn't actually left her but she knew she wouldn't be able to talk to them. And now this…

A surge of nausea hit her hard and she ran to her bathroom, just about making it to her toilet before emptying the contents of her stomach into it. When she'd finished, she rested her hot head against the cool wall of her bathroom. It felt good on her skin and she shut her eyes, desperate to block out the dull ache that was surging through her body.

Just as she was beginning to relax, the sound of her doorbell rang through her apartment. She groaned, staggering to her feet and stumbling to the door. She intended to tell whoever was there to clear off but when she opened the door, she changed her mind.

'Boss?'

'Hey Grace, just wanted to check up on you.. You didn't look so great.. You still don't..'

'I'm okay, really. Thanks for the concern but..'

'You're not seriously going to shut the door on me, are you? Am I not allowed in?'

Grace sighed and stepped back to allow her boss through. 'Just a sec. Make yourself comfortable..'

Teresa nodded and sat in Grace's armchair while Grace headed into the bathroom. Even from out here, she could smell the sick and knew that Grace needed her help.

Grace quickly arranged her bathroom, pulling the chain and washing her hands. She quickly splashed some cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hands gripped the edges of the sink as she stared in disgust at her own reflection. She was a complete mess. Her hair was unwashed, her make up was careless and her puffy eyes were surrounded by dark circles. She had always taken great pride in her appearance but now she looked like.. Well, she looked like complete crap.

'Grace?'

The young agent spun around quickly to face her boss, who stood in the door with her arms folded. Teresa moved towards the rookie slowly, holding out her arms and putting them around the trembling shoulders.

'It's okay, let's get you sat down. Come on..'

Teresa carefully guided Grace through to the living room and sat her down on the sofa, sitting next to her.

'Grace, you have to start talking to us. I gave you the time off to get back on your feet.. If you want me to give you more time off, if you're not ready to be coming back to work, just say the word. But I don't know unless you ask.'

'Oh, you really want me to talk to you?' Grace folded her arms. She looked like a stroppy teenager; she wore the same look of defiance on her face as she had worn so many times during her adolescence.

'Well, yeah.. Please.. I'm worried..' Teresa cast a concerned eye over her young agent.

'You hate getting involved in people's personal lives.'

'Well normally, but it doesn't mean I don't care. I'm not here as a boss. I'm here as a… As a friend..'

Grace looked down at her lap. 'I thought I'd got rid of most things that could remind me of Craig.. There was just one thing I didn't count on..'

'What? Grace, what's the matter?'

'He managed to leave me with a little souvenir before.. Before what happened..'

'Grace, will you stop being so damn cryptic? Just tell me..'

'I'm pregnant.'

'What?'

'Yeah..'

'And it's definitely his child?' Teresa asked apprehensively.

'Yeah..'

'Oh my God..'

'Yeah..'

'Stop saying yeah! Grace, this is.. This is serious.. What are you going to do?'

'I… I don't know. I mean, I haven't had much time.. But I can't just get rid of it, I mean.. it's a life.. I can't take an innocent life.'

'Adoption?'

'I'm not sure I could. I don't think I could give my baby to someone else. It wouldn't be right.'

'So keep it?'

'Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, I can't get.. I can't get over the fact that there's a tiny human growing inside me..'

Lisbon smiled softly. 'Grace, I know it's hard, but I think this is going to be a good thing for you. You're going to have something else to focus on. You're going to be a Mommy, yeah? And we'll all be right behind you. We'll support you. You know that, right?'

'I know. Thank you.. Really, thank you..' Grace wiped a tear from her eye quickly. Her hormones were giving her hell already, especially mixed with her current state of mind, so any kind of affection was enough to reduce her to tears.

'Grace, don't cry.. It's going to be okay..' Teresa squeezed the redhead's shoulder gently.

'I'm not.. I'm not upset.. I'm just so..' She gave up talking and flung her arms around her boss's middle. 'Thank you..'

'It's alright, I promise. Do you know how far along you are?'

Grace cast her mind back to the last time that she and Craig had been physically intimate without protection. It had been a particularly enjoyable experience for her and she remembered the feeling of immense emotional satisfaction. She also remembered not having the same sense of pleasure as she had experienced with Wayne, but that was irrelevant.

'About 6 weeks..'

'6? Wow..'

'Yeah..'

'If you say that one more time..'

'Sorry,' Grace smiled and hung her head slightly. She rested one hand on her stomach. All feelings of fear and panic that had earlier been drowning her were suddenly lifted from her. She was going to have a baby. She had the most amazing friend to help her through it. And she was- and forever would be- thoroughly grateful for that friendship.

**So.. Now you know :P Well done to Kourion for the prediction. You're not secretly Patrick Jane are you? No, erm.. Please review and tell me if there's anything in particular you want me to add in. If there's not.. Well, review anyway? More hugs and cookies shall be sent out. **


	4. Lectures

**Okay, I know this chapter isn't as good as other things I've done but it's killing me at the moment. My sudden desire to get chapters up as soon as possible to satisfy my delightful readers (All of whom I love very much and am very grateful to) has caused my brain to shrivel up. So I sincerely apologise if it sounds like it's been written by a five year old but it's the best my head will allow me to get out. Anyway, hope you likes. **

'Van Pelt? Van Pelt, wake up..'

Grace stirred and lifted her head off her desk. Her red hair was plastered to her sweaty forehead and a trail of dribble stuck to her chin. She wiped her mouth and brow hastily and rubbed her eyes.

'Van Pelt, if you can't stay awake at work, then do yourself a favour and don't bother turning up.'

Lisbon folded her arms and glared down at the young agent. She was worried, yes, but she didn't appreciate her agents falling asleep at work. She didn't want to lecture her friend but she, as the boss, had an image to keep up. Letting something like this pass wasn't an option. Obviously, Grace being two months pregnant gave her a little leeway but this couldn't be ignored any longer.

'Sorry Boss..'

'My office in 5, please..'

Grace nodded and looked at her computer screen. The half finished report she had up seemed like an impossible task right now. Well honestly, how was she supposed to concentrate now when her boss and friend was mad at her? She hated to get on the wrong side of people. She had had her fair share of bullying as a child and had always done her best to get along with anyone she came into contact with to avoid the same thing happening again. Didn't rock the boat, didn't cause a fuss, didn't make enemies. Now the only thing she could think of was doing everything she could to regain the respect of her boss.

After the longest 5 minutes of her life, Grace found herself standing outside the office of Teresa Lisbon. She'd done this plenty of times before but she was not normally so nervous. She knocked lightly and on hearing Lisbon's instructions to enter, did so.

'You wanted to see me?'

Teresa looked up and nodded towards the chair. 'Sit.'

Grace did as she was told, exhaling slowly. She felt dizzy and sick, especially as the smell of strawberries in the office was getting to her. She usually loved strawberries but recently even the thought of them had begun to make her feel ill.

'Grace, what's going on? You told me you were doing okay. I thought once you'd told me what was wrong, you'd be alright. I thought we had an understanding. You need to start talking to me Grace, or I'm going to kick your ass.. Well, I would if you weren't pregnant but you know what I'm saying.. Now, tell me why you're not sleeping properly.'

'I.. I just.. It's nothing. I'm more tired than usual because of this..' She gestured to her stomach with one hand, rubbing her head with the other.

'Grace, don't lie to me. Good God woman, am I really that hard to talk to?'

'No, it's not that. I just don't want to talk right now.'

'Come on, I'm trying to help here.. Look, take the rest of today off if..'

'No. I don't want to be at home, I have to work. I have to try and stay busy. Are you finished with me?'

'Not quite. I was wondering when you were going to tell the others. You know that Jane's probably already guessed? Not to mention the fact that it's not long before you're going to be showing. You can't exactly hide it for the next seven months.'

'I know, I know. I'm just waiting for the right time. Jane could probably guess himself, Cho.. Cho probably wouldn't be too fussed but Rigsby's going to have a heart attack when I tell him. I'm scared..'

'You have to do it..'

'I will,' Grace promised. 'I'll do it before the end of the week.'

'Promise?'

'I promise.'

'Good. Now you can go. But try to stay awake, hm?'

The redhead nodded and smiled. 'I will. Thanks Boss.'

Teresa sighed as her friend left. Grace was stubborn when she wanted to be and now the addition of rampaging hormones was making her worse. She put her head in her hands and tried desperately to think of a way to help things. When she finally glanced to her left, she saw the sandy haired consultant leaning against the doorframe.

'Jesus, Jane. You scared the heck outta me.'

'I know, sorry. You okay?'

Teresa forced a smile and moved her hands into her lap. 'Yeah, just a headache. I'm fine.'

'Strange, Grace has been saying that a lot too. A lot of headaches..'

'What's your point, Jane? Seriously, I'm not in the mood.'

'You know about Grace, don't you?' He flashed his irritating smile at her, the one she missed. She hadn't see him do it for a while and it pleased her, although it often meant something bad was coming.

'What about her?'

'You know she's pregnant.'

Teresa's eyes widened. 'How the hell do you know that?'

'It's obvious. She'd tired, her hormones are playing up more than they would do at her time in the month, which anyone who knows Grace could tell that she hasn't had. For a start, she hasn't thrown a plate at anyone. She's having mood swings, yes, but they're different mood swings. She keeps spending a penny and I have to say she's looking a little bigger.. You know, up top..'

'You're a jackass, you know that?'

'I know, but I'm a correct jackass. Why hasn't she told anyone?'

'Jane, she's terrified..' Teresa stood up, surprising herself at how frustrated his questions were making her. It was Grace's personal life and they had no right to be discussing it.

'Of Rigsby finding out, I presume? I'm not surprised, it'd kill him.'

'Well don't tell Van Pelt that. Seriously, don't. She's struggling and I don't want her to get more stressed out, it's not good for her or for the baby..'

'The what?'

Wayne Rigsby stood in the open doorway of his boss's office, the paperwork he'd been holding suddenly in a pile on the floor. Had the situation not been so serious, Teresa would have dearly loved to take a picture of the pitiful face. He looked like a puppy who'd just been kicked.

'Rigsby, I.. I didn't see you standing there.. It's not.. How long have you been there?'

'Long enough.' Despite the pathetic look on his face, his eyes were deadly serious. 'How far?'

'I can't.. For goodness sakes, it's none of your business.. That applies to both of you. She'll tell you everything when she's ready. It's not my place to tell you anything.'

'Boss, please. I love her. I love her more than anything else in the world. And she's grieving. She's shutting down and blocking us out. If she's having a baby.. Then maybe I have a chance..'

'A chance to take advantage of a young, vulnerable, pregnant woman who's having a really horrible time right now? Nice one Rigsby, that's smooth.'

His face crumpled at her words. She sat back down at her desk. God, she'd just made a grown man cry. Maybe all of their hormones were running on the same level as Grace's. Either way, things needed sorting. And they needed sorting quickly.

'Look, just go. Try to act normal around her, don't let on that you know. I'm going to sort this out properly.'

'How's that?'

'I'll think of something.' Teresa threw her jacket over her arm and headed out past the two men, heading to Grace's desk.

'Van Pelt?'

Grace looked up from her screen. 'Hm?'

'Get your stuff, you and I are going out.'

'Where?' Grace stood up and did as she was told immediately, desperate to please her boss.

'You'll find out soon enough, come on.'

**Don't worry, I have plans for the next chapter. Once again, any requests or ideas welcome and I'll do my best to slot them in. I'll try and make the next one a bit more structured and less rambly. Sorry to those of you who wanted the Grace/Teresa but you'll get more of in the next chapter, I promise! Keep the reviews going please my dear readers. **


	5. Woman To Woman

**Ah, here we go again. As promised, a nice big dollop of Grace/Teresa coming right up. **

The bar was quiet apart from the quiet music coming from the speakers on the wall. It was almost empty; the only people other than the two women in the corner were a group of young business who seemed to be celebrating something. Grace sighed and sipped at her apple juice. It was just enough to cure her thirst and nausea without making her feel worse.

Teresa glanced over to her and set her lemonade down on the table.

'Right, spill.'

'Spill what?'

'Everything. Anything. Just talk to me, because right now I'm considering making you take maternity leave seven months early.'

'No, don't do that..'

'Then you'd best start telling me things.'

'I..' Grace paused to think up what she was going to say before she made herself look stupid. 'I just can't sleep. It's nothing, I.. Just me being stupid. But every time I close my eyes, he's there. I see his face. It's like he's.. He's haunting me or something.. I can fall asleep at work because he doesn't get me there. I'm not in that apartment, not in that bed. God, the bastard nearly killed you and I can't get him out of my head..'

'Well, why don't you come and stay with me?' The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

'Really? I could..? No, I can't. I mean, I've got to face this sooner or later. I've got to face my demons. I'm a big girl now.'

'I know you are Grace, you're very capable. But maybe.. Maybe it'll go away now you've spoken about it. I hope so. But you have to sleep, your baby needs a healthy mother, whatever it takes. It needs you to be well. Even if you don't do it for yourself, do it for your child.'

Grace nodded and looked down at her stomach. 'I know. And I will, I promise. I'll be fine.'

Teresa smiled and took her friend's hand. She had been working up to what she was about to say and decided to use the moment where Grace looked relatively calm to tell her.

'Grace, there's something else we need to talk about..'

The redhead raised her eyebrows. 'Yeah?'

'The others.. Well.. Jane came into my office just after you left.. And he told me that he knew.. He's already figured out that you're pregnant.'

'Oh God.. And you told him he was right?'

'Not as such, but there would have been no point in lying to him. He said it was obvious. That's not all though..'

'Then what?'

Teresa bit her lip. 'Rigsby heard us talking..'

The young agent's face drained of all colour as she spoke. She felt sick and angry. 'Wayne knows?'

'Yeah.. I'm sorry Grace, we didn't know he was in the doorway.. I didn't see him, I.. God, I'm so sorry..'

'No, it's.. It's okay.. Well, it's not okay but I don't blame you. He shouldn't have.. At least I don't have to tell him..'

'But you do have to talk to him. He thinks he has a chance with you now..'

'Oh..' Grace looked down.

'And does he?'

'Does he what?'

'Have a chance with you?'

'If we're not going to get transferred, then maybe.. But I need to think things through. I don't want a man around so soon after.. After Craig.. Maybe some time.'

'He loves you, you know? He'd do anything for you. He'd be there for you no matter what.'

'Like Jane would for you?'

Teresa choked. 'I beg your pardon?'

'Well, don't tell me that Wayne's in love with me when you and Jane have been pining after each other for the last however long and neither of you are doing anything about it. I had a relationship with Wayne. We gave it a go and we had to split. We tried. You and Jane, you're.. Well, you're like a couple of children. You both like each other but you're too scared and embarrassed to admit it.'

Teresa opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by a sharp wolf whistle coming from the table of young men. She looked around to send a harsh comment their way but they spoke first.

'Not you love, the redhead. Come on darlin', you come sit with us. Or on us, whichever you prefer.'

Grace scoffed and turned her head. Thankfully, Teresa grinned and nudged her.

'That'd make Rigsby jealous.'

'Oh, like me going over wouldn't be completely awkward, even if I was interested? 'Hi, I'm Grace. By the way, I'm 2 months pregnant with a dead man's kid. Bummer, huh?' They're just going to run a mile. My God, I'm never going to get a date again..'

'Course you will, you're hardly short of admirers.'

'I never asked for that.'

'Yeah, must be so hard being beautiful.'

'Come off it, you're hardly ugly. And you've got a better figure. Give it two months and I'm going to look like a balloon.'

'But you'll be glowing.' Teresa grinned.

'Pfft. Anyway, back to you and Jane..'

'No, steering clear of me and Jane. Seriously, why wouldn't you get back with Rigsby?'

'It's complicated..'

'What's complicated? He loves you. You still have feelings for him. You want each other. Your baby needs a father who's going to do everything that you can't.'

'That I can't?' Grace folded her arms. This had better be good. She prided herself on having several skills that men had as well as her natural feminine skills.

'Well, if it's a boy then it's going to need someone to talk about girls with, have their first beer with, play football with..'

'Play football with? Have you forgotten who my father is? I'm pretty sure that even if I couldn't play football for whatever reason, then my Dad or my brother could. He'd have his uncle for that kind of thing. I know a child needs a father, really, but.. And what if it's a girl?'

'If it's a girl, they need someone to scrounge money from and to wrap around their little finger. And to threaten their boyfriends.'

'Oh, I can do that. Trust me.'

'Really?'

'I gave Amy's first boyfriend a fair warning. If my Dad had heard it, he would have been satisfied.' She announced with pride.

'Amy?'

'My younger sister.'

'How many of you are there?'

'Just 4. Kaitlyn, Leo, me and Amy. Kaitlyn's always swanning off and doing her own thing. I haven't spoken to her in years. Last time I knew, she was in Paris with some bloke she'd picked up in a bar. We never got on very well so it's not exactly a huge issue for me. Leo's married with 3 children and another one on the way and Amy's engaged.'

'Wow.. Do they know you're pregnant?'

'No.. I called my Dad the night it all happened and told him that Craig had been arrested and killed but I didn't say I'd done it and I didn't say what he'd been arrested for. I don't want him to know that. He must have told Leo and Amy because they keep calling to check on me.'

'What about your Mom?'

She looked down. 'I don't talk about my Mom.'

'You know about mine..'

Grace sighed and closed her eyes. 'She died when I was 10..'

'I'm sorry..' Teresa looked down slightly in respect. 'What happened?'

'Suicide. I found her hanging.. God, I.. I couldn't move, or.. I was standing there for about 4 hours before Leo got home. He to drag me out.. But that's how it happened..'

'Do you know why..?' The senior agent asked apprehensively.

'She didn't say much in her note but we knew she was fighting with my Dad more and she was starting to get frustrated at us kids a lot. Kaitlyn was 16 at the time and she was getting into trouble.. Alcohol, drugs, skipping school.. Leo was 13 and starting to get rebellious so he and Mom were arguing lots. I lost count of the amount of times they told her they hated her. Amy was only 6 so she didn't get it as much as us but she was probably the most upset.. She was the only one close to Mom..'

'What about you?'

'Me? I was the last of the five of us to have an argument with her before she died. I tipped her over the edge.'

'You don't know that..'

'I don't know otherwise. It was the night before.. We were fighting because I told her about something that happened at school and she didn't believe me..'

'What happened at school..? Boy stuff, I presume..'

'No, actually. Girl stuff.' She smiled softly as Teresa raised her eyebrows. 'Not in that way. Couple of girls were picking on me so I told my Mom.. I'd never told anyone that I was being bullied before and I never told anyone about it afterwards. She told me to toughen up and get over it. She was stressed, she didn't mean it, but it upset me.. The next day, the girls who'd been targeting me got me good. They were a grade higher than me but one of them had a sister in my year who didn't like me, so that's how that started.. They found me and they.. Well, they pretty much attacked me. Mom got a call from my school to tell her what happened. We didn't live too far away so she gave me permission to walk home.. By the time I got there, she was dead. All she said in her note was that we were better off without her and that she was sorry. Kaitlyn hated Mom but she hated me too. She tortured me for what happened, told me that it was my fault and that she killed herself because she felt guilty for not helping me, just to make me feel bad. She could be cruel like that. I was only young so I believed her.. I'm not sure I ever stopped believing that.'

Teresa squeezed the thin hand gently and put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

'Don't ever believe that it's your fault. You didn't ask to get hurt. You didn't make your siblings fight with your Mom. You didn't make her do what she did. You're not to blame, okay? Come on, don't get yourself stressed. Not in your condition.'

'No, I.. I'm okay.. I promise..' Grace smiled and wiped a single tear from her eye. 'I'm okay. Thanks to you..'

'Hey, none of that. It's not me..'

'Are you kidding? I wouldn't be here without you. I'd be.. I don't know, I'd be somewhere.. Craig probably would have killed me.. Thank you Boss… Thank you for everything..'

Teresa smiled and pulled her friend into a hug. 'You're very welcome.'

**Another chapter finished. As usual, please review. Reviews make virtual points, and what do virtual points make? You got it dudes, virtual prizes. You know what to do.**


	6. Baby Talk

**So, you've reached level 6. Full blown Grace/Teresa friendship here with a little bit of humour thrown in for good measure. Enjoy. **

'Oh Grace, look at these!' Teresa held up a pair of tiny blue striped dungarees. 'How cute?'

Grace chuckled. 'They are, but I don't think Princess here wants blue.'

'You can dress a girl in blue, there's no laws stating otherwise.'

'Well, you would know..'

The two women laughed. Jane (much to the annoyance of the team) had correctly predicted that Grace's baby would be girl. This had been confirmed a few weeks later when she had gone for her 20 week scan. The first thing she had done afterwards was to call Teresa and to tell her to slap Jane for her and to tell him that he had to be psychic, an order which Teresa had carried out almost immediately, judging but the faint 'Ow!' she had heard. Now, six weeks later, they were having the shopping trip that had been planned for months. The excitement to buy baby clothes and the other bits and pieces that Grace would need was running high.

'Have they got any of those in pink? I've always loved dungarees..'

'Not sure, I'll check. You getting those babygros? The pink and white ones?'

'How could I not? They're adorable. Oh, I must get an apron at some point too..'

Teresa frowned. 'An apron? Please tell me you aren't going to cook? You're good at lots of things but cooking isn't one of them.'

'Very funny. No, it's for breastfeeding. You put it over you and the baby when you're doing it so you can actually have a conversation and other people aren't embarrassed to look at you.'

'That's really clever actually. Very resourceful.'

'I thought so. Have you seen these bibs?'

Teresa wandered round to the other side of the rack. Grace had found packs of bibs with funny messages on.

'I thought you refused to buy things like that?'

'Well, normally, but these are so cute..'

The older woman picked up the packet and smiled. 'Been inside for nine months?'

'I know, how sweet?'

'Grace, you're a cop. Is that really the kind of thing you want your daughter to be wearing?'

'Yeah, I see your point..' Reluctantly, the redhead placed the packet back on the shelf.

'Ah, now these are better.' Teresa picked up another packet. 'If you think I'm cute, you should see my Mommy.'

'Dear God, no. I'm not using my child to pimp myself out. Some of these are awful..'

'Like what?'

'Well, this says 'Spit happens'.'

'Maybe not those then. What about these? 'When God made me, he was just showing off.'?'

They both laughed at this.

'Now, that's cute. Go on, they'll be fine. I've got some plain ones as well. Mind if I pay for this then we can come back later? I need a sit down and a drink..'

'We've only been out two hours.'

'I know, but being six and a half months pregnant takes it out of you a bit.'

'I guess it does. It's cool, I'm getting tired too. I don't normally do so much shopping at once.'

'Trust me, we'll soon be changing that.'

'Oh, great..' Teresa grinned at her friend. Making friends with Grace was one of the best things to have happened to her recently, even if it meant spending hours at the mall. It was so worth it.

'So.. You going to have a baby shower?'

'No I'm darn well not.' Grace seemed almost disgusted at the prospect. 'I've been to enough of Mel's to know never to have one of my own. Leo didn't exactly choose the best sister in law for me. Too stuck up. Anyway, they're too much fuss.'

'You get presents.' Teresa smiled, sipping her coffee.

'Nothing I can't buy myself.'

'Oh, come on. I was looking forward to planning it.'

'You can sort out the Christening if you want.'

'Fair enough.'

Grace smiled at her friend as she picked at her coconut muffin. 'Teresa..'

'Yeah?'

'Will you be the Godmother?'

Teresa's eyes widened and a huge smile crept over her face. 'Grace, I'd be honoured.. Thank you..'

'I wouldn't dream of asking anyone else. What do you think of having Jane as the Godfather?'

'Come on Grace, what did I ever do to you? Don't make me stand up there with him..'

'Well, I'm not sure Wayne would want to.. And it means that if anything happens to me then you and Jane get to bring my child up. I'd love to see that..'

'Very funny. Seriously though, Jane would make an excellent Godfather. I just thought you might have picked Rigsby..'

'I thought of that, but.. Well.. He's Wayne..' Grace wavered. She didn't have much more of an explanation. He was just Wayne.

'Says it all really.'

'No, you know what I mean. He's just..'

'Yeah, I get you. Does this mean I have to wear a dress?'

'Afraid so. But you don't have to wear pink, I promise. Just anything other than black. Bad luck.'

'I thought that was weddings?'

'I know, but I'm not taking any chances.'

'So what colour are you going to wear?'

'No idea. I haven't even had her yet, give me a chance. But I intend to make the most of having my figure back, that's for certain.'

'You're not going to wear one of those big floppy hats are you?'

Grace chuckled and took a bite of her muffin. 'No, I think I'll pass on that one.. Ow!'

'What? What's the matter?'

'It's okay, just a kick. She's going mad in there already..' She smiled and looked down at her large stomach. 'You don't like being cooped up, do you Princess? No, neither does Mommy. You want to get out and stretch those little legs.. Well, would you mind not stretching them so much whilst you're still in there, you're hurting me.'

'Grace, you're talking to your uterus..'

'What?' She protested innocently. 'Lots of people do it.. And it's meant to provide stimulation.. I think it's working, ouch..'

'Is she still going?'

'Yeah, like Hell. You want to feel?'

'Alright then..' Slowly, Teresa placed one hand on the vast stomach and felt the movements of the baby barely inches beneath her.

'Wow..' She breathed. 'It's.. It's.. It's magical..'

Grace grinned. 'It's not your uterus she's trying to kick a hole in. But yeah, it's amazing..'

'The wonders of pregnancy, huh?'

They both smiled and Grace leaned back in her chair. 'Yeah.. Wouldn't have it any other way..'

**Man, you wouldn't believe the amount of fun I had looking up the quotes for those bibs. I spent about five minutes unable to stop laughing at some of them.. Anyway, steering away quickly from my immaturity, please review ****J I'm starting college this week- need something to stop me going mental. Love you guys! x**


	7. Little Angel

**Before I start, anyone who's read my story 'For All That I Am', you'll realise that I may have copied parts of one chapter for this. I was struggling for inspiration and Heaven forbid I let my beloved readers down. So I nicked my own work. My bad. Sorry it's taken so long as well, I started college recently so I've been busy. I also apologise for the fact that it's not completely realistic, but it's fiction. Love you guys, enjoy :D**

The next couple of months flew by until the day finally came around- Grace's due date. Teresa had spent the last month making sure Grace didn't even leave the bullpen without someone with her, and the mere suggestion of her friend going out in the field so far along in her pregnancy was enough to send the senior agent into a panic.

The redhead sat at her desk, one hand resting on her swollen stomach and the other writing out a report. She smiled and rubbed it occasionally as she felt the slight twinges. She wasn't quite prepared when a sharp pain rippled through her lower abdomen.

'Oh my God..'

'Grace? You okay?' Jane glanced over from his couch.

'No, I.. I think it's time.. Ow.. Yeah, it's time..'

'Oh good God… Okay Grace, just a sec..' He dashed out to Teresa's office, yelling to Wayne on the way. He burst into the office and grinned at her.

'Crap Jane, what's the matter?'

'The matter? Nothing. Just there's a certain pregnant lady out here who isn't going be pregnant much longer..'

The realisation took a while to hit her but once it had, she found herself wearing a grin as big as Jane's.

'It's time?' She practically skipped out of the office in a very un-Teresa like manner, sitting on Grace's desk and taking her hand. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, I'm.. Yeah.. I'm good..' The younger woman smiled and gave the hand a gentle squeeze.

'Good.. Guess we'd best give you a hand up, huh?' She grinned and helped Grace to her feet. 'Cho, let someone know that we've gone. I'll take Grace in my car and you guys follow. Clear?'

'Very.' Jane smiled, grabbing his jacket. 'You okay Grace? You look a little warm..'

Grace glared up at Jane as a second contraction gripped her body. 'Why don't you fu-'

'Uh, language. Honestly, I don't know why you get so worked up..'

She threw another glare his way and Jane found himself having to duck to avoid the stapler colliding with his head.

'Oh God! Why won't she just come?'

'I'm sure it won't be long Grace, these things take time.'

'Too much time. It hurts!'

'I know Grace, but it's okay.. You're going to be okay.. It shouldn't be long now. Your contractions are really close.' Teresa reassured her, still holding her hand.

'Good.. Where'd the doctor go? I want drugs.'

'She's gone to check on somebody else.'

'Don't they have more than one doctor in this damn place?'

'I'm sure she'll be back soon.'

As if on cue, the blonde haired woman returned. 'Right Miss Van Pelt, let's see how dilated you are..' She bent down to examine Grace. 'Ah, yes.. Yep, you're ready to push.'

'Oh God..' She sighed, laying back into her pillows.

'Alright Grace, come on.. You've got my hand, you just squeeze as hard as you like, yeah?'

Grace nodded and did as she was told, pushing on each contraction that came after that. Teresa instantly regretted telling Grace she could squeeze as hard as she wanted.

'That's good, that's very good.. One more..' The blonde doctor smiled, lifting her head from between Grace's legs.

'No..'

'It's okay, come on. One more push..'

'I can't.. I can't, it hurts..'

'I know it does but it's going to be so worth it.' Teresa promised.

'Will you help me? Do it for me?'

'I can't do it for you Grace, I can do a lot of things but not this. But I can help.. Come on, it's going to be just fine. Right?' The dark haired woman smiled comfortingly at her friend. 'Ready?'

Grace nodded and pushed hard as her next contraction came. A loud scream from her, followed by a tiny cry could only mean one thing. It was over.

'Congratulations, you've got a gorgeous little girl here, and a very healthy one at that..' The doctor smiled as the baby was taken to be weighed. 'Do we have a name?'

'Yeah, she does.' Grace panted as she tried to catch her breath. 'Emma.. Emma Teresa Van Pelt..'

Teresa's jaw dropped. 'Emma Teresa?'

'Why not? It's perfect.'

'Thank you..'

'You're welcome.'

Three tired looking male agents trooped into Grace's room in single file. Grace was sat up in bed, still in her hospital gown. A tiny baby in a pink hat lay in her arms. She was smiling but clearly in need of sleep.

'Hey..'

'Hey Grace. How're you feeling?'

'Somewhere between crappy and elated. Not quite sure yet.'

Teresa pulled up a chair beside the bed, as did the others except Jane who perched on the end of her bed.

'Can I hold her?'

Grace smiled. 'Of course you can.. Here..' She passed her tiny daughter over to her friend.

'Oh Grace, she's so warm and.. Wow, she's so tiny.. Look at the tiny fingers and toes.. She's gorgeous..'

'She is, isn't she?'

'Just like her Mommy.' Wayne smiled and patted the redhead's hand. 'You should be proud.'

Grace shuffled and smiled uncomfortably at his gesture. He'd been trying to get close to her for some time and she really wasn't sure. She had tried to make it clear that she wasn't quite ready for a relationship, especially one with him. He didn't seem to be getting the hint.

'Grace, why don't you get some rest? You must be exhausted.' Teresa asked gently.

Grace nodded and closed her eyes. She barely managed to mumble a 'Thanks' before her head hit the pillow and she drifted into a much needed sleep.

'I'm going to go for a coffee. Anyone want one?' Cho offered.

'I do, I'll come with.' Wayne stood up quickly and left with Cho.

Teresa smiled down at the baby in her arms. The small tufts of red hair and the sparkling hazel eyes definitely belonged to her mother with only a few of her father's features. It was a nice mix.

'Beautiful, isn't she?'

The older woman looked up and smiled at Jane. 'She's so amazing..'

'My, my Teresa, surely we're not getting broody?'

Teresa chuckled as happy tears filled her eyes. 'No, I'm not.. I just.. She's so..'

'I know what you mean. All babies are miracles, but her.. Doesn't she look like Grace?'

'Yeah, she does.' Teresa stroked the crimson cheek gently with the back of her index finger.

'She's going to love her Aunt Teresa.'

'I hope so.'

Jane moved from his space on the end of the bed and perched lightly on the arm of Teresa's chair. He contemplated putting his arm around her but thought better. Not while she was so absorbed with the beautiful bundle of pink in her arms. Who knows, he thought. This time next year, he could be here again. Except it would be Teresa in the bed fast asleep, Grace sitting in the chair holding her child and Jane would be sat beside Teresa. The baby would have her dark hair and grey green eyes rather than Grace's red hair and hazel eyes. Jane shook his head quickly. It wasn't going to happen. Still, he could dream. He smiled as the eyes he'd so often dreamed about looked up to him.

'She's an angel. A gorgeous little angel.'

Okay, ending didn't go quite as I planned but there you go. That was intended to be the end of the story but I might carry on if you want me to. Please review guys, I love you all 3


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